


Into The Dark

by Lloyd1000



Series: Don't Leave Me Behind [2]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fear, M/M, Physical Pain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-24 12:59:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9727871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lloyd1000/pseuds/Lloyd1000
Summary: Commander John Alenko-Shepard, his husband, Major Kaidan Alenko-Shepard, and their daughter, Lydia, were flying to visit Lydia's parent's graves. However, unforeseen mechanical failure causes Shepard's plane to crash land in unknown territory. Now, they must fight to survive the freezing cold elements and outsmart and outrun a blood thirsty, 2000lb grizzly bear.Note: This story will be in two different POV's. Kaidan's and John's. The story starts out with John's.Don't like don't read!





	1. Emergency Crash Landing

These woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep, 

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

\- Robert Frost

* * *

The alarm woke me up before the pain did. I groaned as all my muscles protested against the movement I was currently making. My head hurt and I couldn't see anything but smoke drifting lazily through the air. I knew I had to find Kaidan and Lydia, but I was stuck between my seat and the control panel. Just what had happened? Why were The Normandy's alarms going off? I tried to look around but still couldn't see anything. The smoke was too thick. 

"Great." I whispered as I tried to wiggle out from the control panel and my seat. My muscles protested as I continued to free myself and it wasn't until I heard a groan not two feet from me that I somehow got a surge of strength. I managed to free myself from my temporary prison. Once I was out, I tried to stand, only to find that was a big mistake. I fell flat onto my face. Smooth, John. Very smooth. I lifted up my already throbbing head to find the source of that groan. I glanced through the smoke, trying to see when I saw Kaidan. He was up against the control panel and the wall of The Normandy. I slowly made my way toward him, calling out to him when I got closer,

"Baby, I'm here. It's okay now." He starred up at me with glossy eyes, like he wasn't looking at anything in particular. I grabbed the only free hand of his and placed a kiss on his lips. His eyes focused on me turning more lively as he gripped my hand like it was a life line. 

"J-John? A-Are you ok? W-What happened?" He asked me fearfully, voice breathless. How was I supposed to answer his last question...? Instead I opted for telling him the honest truth.

"I'm fine, Kaidan. I don't know what happened. I wish I did. I don't even remember the crash." Kaidan half scoffed, half sobbed as a single tear flowed down his face. Using my other hand, I gently wiped away the tear and squeezed his hand in reassurance, for me as well as for Kaidan. I looked around the damaged and broken cockpit and wondered, 'Just what the hell happened?'

"John, where's Lydia? Is she ok?" I heard Kaidan asked in fear. I looked down at him and shook my head as I told him,

"I don't know. I'll go look for her. I'll be back." Before I leaned down and kissed his lips passionately. He glanced at me in worry but nodded in understanding. Finding Lydia was currently our biggest concern. 

Carefully, I stood up, holding a chair to keep my balance, and I slowly began to search the smoldering, damaged wreckage of what was left of my plane. I searched all over but I had yet to find my daughter. I was about to head back to Kaidan, hopeless, when I caught sight of a streak of white hair sprawled across the floor. I quickly moved toward her, ignoring the pain of my quick movements, and collapsed by her side. 

"Lydia? Sweetheart?" I questioned tentatively as I reached a hand to her face. She groaned and I have never felt more relieved than in that moment. 

"Hey, Little Wolf." I whispered gently as I carefully lifted her into my lap and held her. I noticed she was shaking and sobbing as she was comforted by my embrace, or maybe she was in shock from the crash. I lifted her up and slowly moved back toward Kaidan before I placed her down by him. She immediately grabbed him in a hug, or as well as she could considering Kaidan was stuck in between the wall and the control panel.

"John? Baby, I'm having a hard time breathing...." he took a sharp intake of breath before he continued,

"C-Can you get me out?" I stood up, a little too quickly for my body's liking, and nearly fainted. Black spots danced before my eyes.

"John? Babe!" Kaidan cried out in worry at the same time as Lydia.

"Daddy!"

"I'm ok now, I think." I told them after the room had stopped spinning. Once I was sure I wasn't going to faint again, I moved over to Kaidan.

I tried to think of something and fast, then I thought of moving the control panel. I moved over and tried to shove the control panel out a little, so Lydia could pull him out. Somehow, I managed to move the panel just enough for Kaidan to wiggle his way out from beneath it. Once he was out, I immediately let go of the panel and looked him over.

I noticed that his leg was broken and that he had a few broken or bruised ribs. Then I looked over Lydia and noticed she was the luckiest out of the three of us. She only had a few bruised ribs and a sprained wrist. Meanwhile I had a throbbing head and broken collar bone, though I didn't know this until Kaidan pointed it out, and a very bruised body.

I knew that I had to set his leg, but I was having a hard time seeing straight. I guess I must have hit my head a little harder than I thought. I stood up and began to search the wreckage for something I could use as a splint. I searched desperately until I found two similar sized pieces of metal and a medical kit. I returned to the cockpit and began examining the leg closer. That's when I noticed Kaidan's broken leg was severely twisted to the left. I turned to Kaidan,

"Kaidan." He looked at me in worry when he noticed my tone. I continued, "Your leg... It needs to be put back in place. So I'm going to have to twist it back. I'm not going to lie." I moved closer to place my forehead on his as I whispered to him,

"Baby, it's going to hurt like nothing you've ever felt before. But I have to do it or you'll lose the leg." I kiss him passionately, trying to convey my fear and worry to him, only to receive it back tenfold. Kaidan was just as worried as I was. Then I instructed my daughter to get ready with the makeshift splints before I grabbed his leg. With both hands, I began to twist the leg and immediately Kaidan cried out in so much pain, it nearly broke my heart. I hate seeing him in pain and seeing tears fly down his cheeks made my heart almost snap in half. 

Finally, with one last twist, the leg was back to normal. I immediately grabbed the splints and with Lydia's help; I wrapped his leg. Then I pulled him into a hug and rocked him back and forth. Telling him sweet nothings,

"You're alright now. It's over. I'm so sorry, my love." Kaidan held me close and sobbed so hard into my chest that all I could hear in tune with Kaidan's heart wrenching sobbing, was the sound of my own heart breaking. I had caused this. I had hurt him. I had let him down. I was such a horrible husband. I leaned down into Kaidan and also cried.  


	2. Finding A Way Home

Kaidan had quieted down, but I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest and set on fire. I stared down at his pained, sleeping face and tears threatened to fall. I placed a shaky hand on his face before I leaned down and kissed his lips, then slowly moved away. 

I moved about the wreckage, smiling sadly at my little girl before I noticed for the first time, the night sky. You see, part of the plane had broken apart but had not broken into two. I walked through the hole and glanced up at the sky. The stars were out. It was beautiful. 

I walked a little ways away before I collapsed into the snow. I silently cried for one reason: I had hurt my family. 

* * *

".....ddy!"

I gasped at the sudden sound around me. I hadn't realized I had fallen asleep until I began to feel really cold and felt a hand on my back, gently shaking me. 

"Daddy, wake up!" A voice that sounded in fear. "Daddy!!" I fully opened my eyes and realized I had fallen asleep outside the plane. My daughter shook me again until I glanced at her. 

"What's wrong, Lydia?" I asked immediately as I took in her fearful face. I stood and wiped myself off as best as my freezing cold hands allowed,

"Dad's been screaming for you! Come on, Daddy, hurry!" hearing the urgency in her voice I quickly followed her back inside the plane. Even amongst the worry and fear within my body, I still noticed that the sun was to my left and had just begun to rise.

Once inside, I noticed the pained scream right away coming from my husband, still in the cockpit where I had left him. I thought miserably 'How could I have left him?! I never should have!' Then immediately went to his side. He was thrashing around and I was afraid he'd hurt himself worse. 

"Kaidan?!" I yelled in fear as I grabbed his shoulders to try and steady him. He continued to thrash around whimpering quietly,

"It hurts. John, please stop the pain. Take it away!" The pain and pleading in his voice nearly made me want to stop the pain. That alone nearly made me take his life, if only to put a stop to his suffering. 

Once he had stopped thrashing, I felt his sweat covered forehead and noticed he had a fever. I immediately went to the medical kit to find something to help with the pain and the fever. Only to return with nothing for my love. Seeing and knowing that he's in so much pain, it.... it breaks my heart. 

So I held him and told him sweet nothings again, 

"I'm here, Kaidan. Shh.... it's going to be alright." Lydia stood a few feet away watched us. I noticed tears were threatening to fall down her face and I reached out to her. 

"Come here, Lydia." She rushed to my side and cried. I never wanted her to see her father in pain. I never wanted her to know what it was like to nearly die. No ten year old girl deserved this. She didn't deserve this. 

We sat like that for what felt like hours, before I decided we had to find a way home. I looked down at my sweet little girl and my beloved husband in my arms and began to tell them that we need to vacate the area. 

"Kaidan, Lydia, we need to leave. This plane could still be dangerous. We've been lucky so far but that doesn't mean our luck will hold." Kaidan glanced up at me and sighed. He knew that as well. I knew Kaidan couldn't walk so I had to make a stretcher for him. I told Lydia to stay with him while I went around the plane looking for anything that I could use as a stretcher. 

* * *

 

After a while, I found a long enough piece of metal that I could use to carry Kaidan and went back to my family. When I arrived, I placed the makeshift stretcher on the ground next to my lover. It wasn't very wide but it would have to do. We don't know how long it will take us to find our way home but we had to try. Carefully, I lifted Kaidan's upper body onto the piece of metal and then went for his legs. Just as with his upper body, I gently placed Kaidan's legs onto the stretcher. 

Kaidan hissed in pain as I finished placing his legs down on cold hard metal. I squeezed his hand reassuringly before I instructed Lydia to pick up her father at the same time as me. The two of us, carefully and as gently as we could, picked up Kaidan. 

Once he was up in the air, Lydia and I carried him out of plane. As I carried Kaidan I began to feel my right arm go numb but I gritted my teeth and managed to get him outside. Lydia and I just as carefully placed Kaidan down onto the ground before I turned to my little family.

"We're going to have to salvage the plane for whatever we can use. Lydia, you stay here with your father while I'm going to search the plane." They nodded and I went back inside the wreckage. 

I searched the plane, grabbing the medical kit as I went. As I was searching, I noticed a duffle bag like backpack and a water bottle next to one of the seats. I took those and a few other things that I found.

I also found some blankets that were stored in one of many cabinets on board and a flare gun with only two flares. 'That could come in handy later.' I thought as I grabbed it. I also found Kaidan's service weapon, but mine was lost somewhere in the wreckage. 

I took what I had found back outside and placed them next to my daughter and husband. I showed them both what I'd gathered before Kaidan asked me,

"What about the black box? I thought I saw it when you guys brought me out." Lydia then spoke up,

"I'll get it!" Then ran back into the plane. She returned minutes later with a small orange colored box and placed it inside the bag. I put the bag on her shoulders because I knew I couldn't hold the weight on my injured shoulder. Once we were all set, the three of us took one last look at The Normandy. 

I felt sad at leaving her to rot on the ground. I mean, that plane was where I met and fell in love with Kaidan. She was where I met the rest of my crew: Joker, Tali, Ashley, Garrus, Wrex and many others. I didn't want to leave her but there was nothing I could do.

The Normandy held so many memories, the good and the bad, and now she's going to rust. I sighed but moved on through the dark forest ahead of us. I walked north hoping to find a road or other people that could take us home. 

* * *

 

We had been traveling for a while, a good couple of hours at least because the sun had just started to descend. My entire arm had also gone numb and I nearly dropped my half of the makeshift stretcher more than once. Luckily, Kaidan saw I was struggling and decided that we should stop and rest. 

I thanked him but I really didn't want to stop until we made it to a safer place. However, Kaidan didn't want me to injure myself any more than I already was. As a compromise we stopped in an area with a bunch of trees all around us. Lydia and I carefully placed Kaidan's stretcher onto the ground and helped him to a place where he could sit. 

Lydia sat down next to her father while I stretched as much as my injured body would allow. I knew it was going to be dark soon and I didn't want to be stumbling around in the dark of night. 

"Kaidan, Lydia, we should get going soon. I don't want to be out-" but I never finished. A branch had snapped not too far away. Lydia looked at me with confusion in her violet orbs while Kaidan glanced at me with knowing eyes. Kaidan and I knew something big was around. 

I told them both to be quiet and not to move while I, as quietly as I could, went to check it out. I walked carefully up a small hill and didn't see anything. I was about to turn around and head back when I noticed movement to my right. Glancing into the bushes, I saw a big brown bear. I knew what this bear was. It was a grizzly bear. I immediately knew we had to get out of here. I did not want to have to fight right now, not while we are all injured. That bear would take us out in less than a minute.

So instead, I quietly but quickly turned around and walked back to my family.

Once I returned, I told them,

"We need to move, now." I was trying to stay calm and collected but somehow Kaidan saw right through me. He knew I was scared; he just _knew_ it. While Lydia was getting on the backpack, I helped Kaidan back onto the ground and onto the stretcher. 

"John, what was it? Baby, what did you see?" Kaidan whispered in my ear as he placed a hand on my face and I had to tell him. He slowly closed his eyes and visibly shook in fear. 

"Ar-(ahem) Are you certain that was what it was? And not something like a wolf?" he whispered to me as to not scare our daughter and I shook my head.

"It was a bear. I know the difference." and then moved him over to the stretcher. Once he was back on the stretcher, Lydia and I immediately took off further into the forest.

After we were far enough away, I noticed my arm had once again grown numb. However, this time I accidentally dropped my half of the stretcher and nearly screamed out in pain. Kaidan hissed in pain as he landed hard onto the ground, head first, but glanced up in worry at me. I was frustrated, worried, and angry, but I was also hurting.

I was frustrated that my plane had crashed; angry that we were most likely lost after my near encounter with a big grizzly bear and worried at the fact that we had only gone a couple of miles. 

I collapsed to the ground and sighed heavily. Kaidan somehow had moved next to me and held me. I leaned into his strong chest as I tried to think of a way to get us all out of here alive. 

"I just..." I fell silent. I don't really know what to say next but I try anyway, "I just don't know what to do, Kaidan. I'm so damned tired and all I want to do is sleep and never get up." I whispered in defeat as I felt his arms tighten around me. 

"I know, babe but we have to keep going. If not for our sake then at least for hers." I looked up at him and thought 'I really don't deserve this man' before I glanced at our daughter. I knew that. I've always known but I needed a little reassurance and that was what Kaidan gave me. Reassurance when I needed it the most. I turned around to face him and kissed him.  

It was then that I heard the sound of rushing water. I carefully detached myself from Kaidan's strong, warm chest, and then with help from Lydia; we managed to get Kaidan up before we slowly made our way toward the sound that brought us a glimmer of hope, and leaving the makeshift stretcher behind.

We walked for a few minutes before I saw the rushing water. Lydia and I set Kaidan down onto the ground before I went to the backpack and grabbed the water bottle. I went over by the river and placed the bottle into it to fill it up. 

Once it was full, I brought it over to Lydia and Kaidan for them to drink. They finished it in practically four huge gulps. I went back and filled it up again. This time, I finished it in one go before I filled it for a third time. 

I was just about to walk back up the bank to my family when I heard a loud grunt and splashing. I froze and looked further down stream, and there it was. Not twenty feet from me was the big grizzly bear I had seen before, and it was staring right at me.


	3. Stalked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two different POV's will be in the chapter. (John's and Kaidan's)

I knew that this was it. I was going to die, mauled to death by this bear with my family not thirty feet away from me. This huge female grizzly bear decided I was going to be her lunch instead of the fish. I knew that I would never be able to warn my family in time before this bear attacked. I was helpless and I knew it too. 

"Damn... I'm sorry, Kaidan and Lydia. I love you both." I whispered, barely audible as the breeze caught my words and carried them away. 

Maybe my luck had begun to turn, I don't care how or why, but the bear left. She stared at me for a long moment, without blinking, before she moved away. I let out a shaky breath that I hadn't realized I had been holding and went back to my family. 

Kaidan looked at me in worry as I made my way back to the comfort of his chest. I sighed heavily and began to remember my close encounters and my helplessness throughout before I started to hyperventilate. Kaidan's strong and reassuring arms pulled me against him and he whispered to me,

"Baby, what's wrong? It's ok. We're ok, you're ok. We are all ok. So what's wrong?" I knew not answering him would make him more worried but how can I say to him that- 'I was nearly killed but the bear decided I wasn't worth it?' Someone tell me how can I say that to the man I love?

So I retreated a little back into my old persona, from when my parents were killed. I hid behind my mask. I didn't mean to but it happens when something traumatic goes down. 

"I'm fine now." And to seal the deal, I continued, 

"I'm ok." And I kissed him. I knew what I was doing was wrong. I knew if I faced him, I would see the hurt on his face. As I began to move away, Kaidan grabbed my hand and stopped me. 

"Don't lie to me, John. Please don't retreat behind your mask. Not to me." I could hear the pain in his voice, that I didn't trust him, even though I did. I trusted him with my life. Instead I hurt him once again. I was about to say something when Kaidan let go of my hand. 

My hand felt cold without his in its grasp. At the lack of contact I forced my mask to drop and turned back to my husband. I grabbed him into a hug and whispered,

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Kaidan wrapped his arms around me as I told him what happened. His grip on me tightened. One of his hands rested on my head as I leaned into him. I placed a small tentative kiss on his neck and he whispered reassurances into my ear. 

I felt embarrassed. Embarrassed because I am the Commander. I'm not someone who is supposed to be afraid of anything. I'm supposed to be the strong one. So why am I acting this way? Was it because we nearly died? 

No, that can't be it. Kaidan and I faced death everyday we were in The Alliance. So why? I didn't, and couldn't answer my unspoken question. I didn't know how. 

That's when I felt them. Tears.

Tears were flowing down my face silently. Kaidan's grip tightened even more and I know, he knew. He placed kisses on my neck then on my forehead, down my eyes to my lips. It was his way of letting me know I'm not alone anymore. 

That I could trust him and that he'd never leave me. He is my rock. The only person in the whole galaxy, I could always confide in. I thought once again, 'I really don't deserve this man.' Before we kiss passionately.

The kiss was cut short, however, when Kaidan hissed out in pain and a small body landed in our laps. Lydia. I smiled as she hugged the both of us for apparently no reason just because she had felt like it. I looked to Kaidan but all he did was show me a pain filled shrug. 

I then stood up and helped Kaidan stand as well. Lydia put the backpack on while Kaidan and I moved forward. We had to get out of here. There's no telling when or if that grizzly bear will return.

Once the pack was situated, Lydia fell into step with us then moved ahead of us when Kaidan and I were going too slow but not too far. She always stayed within our sight. 

* * *

 

We been moving slowly along when Kaidan fell, tripping over a root of a tree, taking me with him. I didn't even see that root. My eyes have been straining to see for the last few hours. My head continued to hurt along with my shoulder and now I injured my legs when I fell onto Kaidan's metal makeshift splint. 

Lydia stopped, ran over to us, and tried to get us up but not without hurting Kaidan. My legs and Kaidan's got tangled together when we fell. Every time I moved, Kaidan groaned in pain and it was the same for me whenever Kaidan moved. I would groan in pain because his metal splints were digging in my side. 

Lydia finally moved my and Kaidan's legs back to their anatomically correct postitions before she helped me up. I in turn helped Kaidan. Seeing as I can't really see properly due to my head injury, we decided to walk a little further before we stopped, with Lydia and Kaidan leading the way. Well, pretty much just Lydia. 

After a while, I decided that we had gone far enough for one day because the sun had already stooped below the trees. Another reason we're stopping; I think my head injury is worse than I had initially thought. 

Our shelter for the night was a hollowed out tree. I lead Kaidan inside carefully then had Lydia place one of the blankets that I found onto the ground for us to sleep on. Once Kaidan was on the ground, Lydia and I searched around the area for some firewood. 

Lydia and I found firewood to last us, at least, the night. I told Lydia to get inside the tree while I built us a fire. Using two twigs, I managed to get a spark going then built that up into a nice roaring fire. Kaidan, Lydia and I had been traveling for a long while and we were freezing, but we hadn't realized how bad. 

After the fire was started, I crawled in next to Kaidan, who happened to be in the middle, with Lydia on his left. It wasn't long after the fire was started that  Kaidan and Lydia were fast asleep. I smiled down at them. They are my everything and if something were ever to happen to them.... I don't know what I would do. 

I hadn't realized I fell asleep until I heard Kaidan screaming. Both Lydia and I bolted awake to find that same damn bear dragging Kaidan by his splintered leg out of our little cave. I told Lydia to stay inside the tree while I took off outside.

"Kaidan!" I yelled in worry and tried to body slam the bear. 

Either due to my luck or something else, the huge female grizzly bear dropped Kaidan to the ground with a loud thump and went after me. I watched both Kaidan's fearful eyes on me and the blood lust, hunger filled ones from the bear as it advanced toward me. 

It only took seconds before that bear had its jaws around my injured shoulder. She crushed it and every bone around it as she picked me up and shook me. I screamed in immense pain and I vaguely remember hearing Kaidan yelling my name before my world went black. 

* * *

 

(Kaidan's POV)

I watched my husband's smooth, slim, hardened back as he huntched over the pile of wood so he could start a fire. I wanted to reach out and run my hand across it gently but took to just staring instead. I sighed in content for what seemed like the first time since the plane crashed. I knew I shouldn't relax, but I couldn't help it. 

We were safe for now. After John's encounter with the female grizzly bear at the river, and how he nearly reverted back into his old persona from when I first met him; we deserved a break. At least for a little while anyway. 

Finally, John got a good fire going and came to lay next to me on my right. Lydia had already fallen asleep but it took me a while. John and I watched the flames dance across the wall of the tree and the night sky. John smiled at it. It was a small half one but still a smile. He was relaxed and I was glad.

After awhile, I couldn't keep my eyes open much longer and collapsed into oblivion. 

* * *

 

It must have been about two or three, perhaps earlier in the morning, when I first heard a stick snap. I woke up with a start. The fire was just embers and John had fallen asleep, but nothing seemed out of place. 

I slowly and carefully sat up because John had snuggled up close to me and peered out into the darkness. Nothing. No glowing eyes, no strange or loud grunts, just the sounds of the forest. I thought nothing of it and went back to sleep. 

About an hour later, I woke with a start when I heard a loud grunt outside our little cave inside the tree. I immediately stared out into the darkness, trying to spot something. I couldn't hear, or see, anything as the fire had died out almost an hour ago, judging by how cold it was. I wanted to wake John up, but I didn't want to ruin his much needed sleep. I knew he didn't get much sleep since the crash. 

When nothing else came, I thought, 'Whatever it was that grunted was gone now.' and laid back down. I was just about to fall asleep when I felt a pressure on my leg followed by growling. I sat up halfway immediately and nearly died in horror. 

Black soulless eyes were staring down at me. Suddenly, I'm pulled from my protected cave in a single move. That's when I realized that those black soulless eyes were from that grizzly bear. 

I screamed, 

"John! Help me! John!" as I tried to get a grip on the earth below me with my fingers. With a start, John and Lydia were up. I also realized I was a little lucky. The bear had grabbed my metal splinted leg.

I didn't see John move. I only heard him yell,

"Kaidan!" Then his grunt as he hit the bear in the side. I dropped to the ground immediately. I landed with a loud thump before I watched the bear turn toward my husband. 

I watched in fear, laying helpless on my back as the bear stalked my husband's every move. Then in a flash, the bear had John in her jaws.

I watched in horror as the bear shook John like he was a rag doll. I screamed out, 

"John!" That's when John went limp in the bear's jaws. Fearing for his life, I tried to moved toward John and the bear but neither of my legs were working. My right leg was throbbing far worse then usual and I know it's because of that damned bear. I knew I had to save John and protect our daughter, who is in the tree, but how....?

That's when it hit me like a ton of bricks. 'My service weapon!' I rolled onto my stomach and reached behind me. I pulled my gun from the waist of my pants and fired. The first shot went wild but it stopped the bear from shaking John. I could see the blood dripping from its jaws. John's blood. 

Knowing that blood was John's was making me sick. She turned her blood lust filled eyes toward me and stalked her way over, carrying John like he was her cub. I knew I had to be careful where I fired the next two shots because I could very well hit my husband. I did _not_ want to do that. 

Taking aim, I fired two more times at the huge female bear in front of me. She dropped John when the third shot got her in the abdomen; when she stood up on her hind legs. She took off then. Using all my adrenaline from the encounter, I moved my way over to my husband. 

Just from looking at him, I knew his shoulder and the bones around his shoulder were severely damaged. It didn't take a scientist to see that his shoulder was nearly shot to hell and hanging funny. I knew I needed to wrap up his injuries before they get infected with whatever diseases that were out here. 

I knew whenever we got back home, John was going to get that checked with a medical doctor in a med clinic. Once I was finished wrapping his shoulder and the area around it, I told Lydia, who after the fight with the bear, ran out to me and her father, to get some sleep. 

I knew sleep was not going to come easy for me. In fact, I didn't sleep for the rest of the night. I was too worried about John and worried that the bear would come back. I just couldn't go back to sleep after the incident. I held John close to my chest as I glanced up into the night sky.

"Please someone help us... I don't think we can go on much further. Anyone...." I whispered to the wind, hoping someone would answer my plea. 

**Author's Note:**

> Please don't forget to leave a comment! Tell me what you think!


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